Since its inception in 2012 Poetic Thursdays at the Soweto Theatre has become a meaningful and worthy showcase for poets and musicians alike.

It is essential to provide young, up-and-coming artists with a platform to share unique and eclectic sounds with lovers of words and sounds, especially in the Joburg area, while simultaneously headlining renowned acts from all over the country. It gives first timers an opportunity to perform in a fully-fledged theatre and in front of a critical audience – serving as a foundation to many writing and performing careers.

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This month, Poetic Thursdays kicks off with sounds from resident music selector DJ Zu, who ensures vibrations stay high, keeping audiences in suspense and holding the continuity of the show together. Zu is a music producer of note and a preferred selector of music in his own right.

Also in the line-up is Poetic Thursdays’ host and director ‘Poetic Justice’ who chips in with a long overdue performance, headlining with a word-themed performance of works from his new ‘Just Poetry’ EP. He last released in 2016. The locally renowned poet is well known in the poetry sub culture of Johannesburg, performing while juggling the roles of director, administrator, ambassador and host at Poetic Thursdays.

The second headline act is a young man going places by virtue of his talent and passion. Potsherd Molefe is a Johannesburg-based multi-award-winning performance poet, writer, spoken word artist and soon-to-be copywriter. He only started performing in 2015 but won the May 2016 edition of ‘Current State of Poetry’ Open Slam and the February 2017 edition of WordnSound Poetry League. Currently, Molefe is the winner of 2017 leg of WordnSound Poetry League and the first annual ‘Say Something’ poetry competition in Pretoria. Molefe’s work has been featured in the 7th edition of the Sol Plaatje anthology and the online Pan African poetry website, Badilisha Poetry, and has been long-listed for the 7th edition of Sol Plaatje European Union Award.

Equally talented, Belita Andre is a spoken-word artist many know through the ‘Current state of poetry’ platform where she has been a slam champ multiple times. The 20-year-old is an accredited writer via Reader world and has brought a fresh perspective to the ever-growing art. In her short spanning career, she’s already headlined Joburg Theatre, The Rand Show and the Women Writers symposium. She doubles as a journalist for ‘Current state of poetry’ and says her poetry is our collective day to day in its purest form. She is known for hosting her own sessions and collaborating with like-minded artists.

Tshepiso Molokwane (29) is the evening’s first musical guest, hailing from the West Rand. He boasts multiple skills, singing, producing music, playing multi instruments and rapping. He fine-tuned his skills in his teens through an art-based NPO doing theatre, drama and music. He has since released his first offering, ‘Memoirs of a soloist’, and is an incubate at Funda Centre studying performance and exhibitions.

Shef and the kitchen is a collective that has gelled well since first coming together 6 years ago. This Orange Farm-based band is on the verge of releasing their debut album with features like Kabomo and Kunle and their single ‘Nomathemba’ featured on the Kaya FM Top 40. Before reaching their peak they headlined festivals like Standard Bank Joy of Jazz, Moshito Arts Festival and Joburg Theatres Youth Unplugged.

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